


Super Rich Kids

by vault_tec



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Blue Jacket AU, Multi, Polyamory, Recreational Drug Use, Underage Drinking, and Max is a brat, bad stuff happens to kate, basically I've made my kids into complete trash bags who do terrible things for fun, essentially a story about a night of debauchery, like super non explicit sex too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-28
Updated: 2015-09-04
Packaged: 2018-04-17 16:55:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4674311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vault_tec/pseuds/vault_tec
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The polyamorous adventures of the biggest assholes in Blackwell, in which alt!timeline Max is a terrible person and the Blackwell King and Queen love her. Based around the night Kate Marsh made the mistake of partying with the Vortex.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I love my trashy kids. All my favourite characters are assholes and I wouldn't change a thing. I also made alt!Max an asshole so I could complete my asshole set of assholes. Though I have a feeling, with the evidence presented in game, she was a bitch before I got my hands on her. Also, I'm not quite sure what this is or where it came from, but it feels sinful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love my trashy kids. All my favourite characters are assholes and I wouldn't change a thing. I also made alt!Max an asshole so I could complete my asshole set of assholes. Though I have a feeling, with the evidence presented in game, she was a bitch before I got my hands on her. Also, I had to do this because I couldn't get the image of Nathan and Victoria doing coke off of Max's ass out of my head? I couldn't focus at work and my personal relationships were suffering, so this had to be written.

_\----------_

_Too many bottles of this wine we can't pronounce//_ _Too many bowls of that green, no Lucky Charms//_ _The maids come around too much/_ _Parents ain't around enough//_ _Too many joy rides in daddy's Jaguar//_ _Too many white lies and white lines//_ _Super rich kids with nothing but loose ends//_ _Super rich kids with nothing but fake friends_

_\----------_

Max wondered, idly, why her definition of a 'good time' these days usually involved something wild like Nathan Prescott doing lines of coke off of her ass in his dorm room before a Vortex Club party.

It was perhaps one of the oddest situations she'd ever been in. It was the sort of weird-ass scenario that gave you an out of body experience – she felt like she was standing outside of herself, looking in with bemused horror and screaming 'WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?' at her own exposed ass cheeks. A goosebumped ass at that - his room always held a chill, like an abattoir.

It's these types of situations that should give you an epiphany about your life and your choices. That actually wasn't happening to Max, though she had the good sense to realise that it probably  _should_  be happening to her. In an ideal world, she would be swearing off of drugs, off of alcohol, off of dick, off of pretty girls and rededicating her time and energy to school-work, wholesome community activities and cultivating meaningful relationships with her peers.

But this wasn't an ideal world so, instead, she just laughed. Max was shallow and she liked to party, what more could she say?

Coming back home to Arcadia Bay was probably one of the best decisions she had made. She could study her passion under one of her biggest heroes, and getting a proper foothold in the photography world. She was really committed to winning the Everyday Heroes contest and just so she could finally prove her worth to all the hipster posers at Blackwell.

Max had felt like she had been stagnating in Seattle – she hadn't known the right people and she had been saddled with the same social group for years; kids that were not quite cool and not quite losers. They were the uncomfortable middle ground with no real identity or perks. Her weekends had been mind-numbingly boring.

Partying in with her crows in Seattle meant room-temperature cheap beer and shitty marijuana.

Here in Blackwell, it meant bottles of French champagne and lines of quality cocaine.

Though, admittedly, that was more of a Prescott thing than a Blackwell thing.

Nathan sat back on his knees, pinching the bridge of his nose and sniffing loudly. He leaned his head back as the high hit him, and Max smirked up at him, admiring his profile. God, she loved him so much. At least, she was pretty sure she did. She hadn't been in love before so it was hard for her to tell, but he made her feel … different to all the other guys she had ever slept with.

To Max, that made it love.

Sensing her eyes on him, he opened his own and smirked back. He leaned forward suddenly and smashed his mouth against her own, pushing his tongue against her lips. Max opened her mouth for him, revelling in his small grunt of satisfaction – he kissed hard enough to bruise her lips and she loved it. Everything Nathan did was rough and hungry; he took what he wanted from the people he knew with that expectant rich-boy entitlement that could be so obnoxious.

He was the type of guy who expected you to suck his dick every time you came around to his dorm room. He was the type of guy who just expected you to let him cum on your face, even though you told him repeatedly that it would unglue your false eyelashes and that you needed to be back in class in ten minutes.

He could be an asshole. He could also be best person you could know. He just needed to get his shit together.

Nathan was a super rich kid, with access to daddy's credit card and a pre-disposition for buying love. That was not the only reason she loved him though, she really did care about him, even if he was a bit of a fuck up. It was nice to have someone genuinely need her like Nathan did. 

"Ugh, get a room you two."

Nathan pulled away with a final tug of her bottom lip between his teeth. Max chewed her lip, savouring the dull throb of pain, looking over at Victoria, who was languidly sprawled out on Nathan's black leather sofa. Victoria's tone was annoyed, but her eyes sparkled with amusement and just a little hint of lust.

Max stuck her tongue out. "Don't be jelly, Victoria." She said in a mocking tone. "There's more than enough of me to go around."

Victoria scoffed and rolled her eyes, a small smile on her nude-tone lips. "I know that, slut. I just didn't want you guys to forget that I was still here."

Nathan winked at Max. "She's so fucking jealous. Hey Tori, why don't you stop bitching and come and have a line."

Victoria hated coke, it was well known. Of course, she would still take it if everyone else was going to - she just  _hated_  to be left out - but she would always complain about how sore it made her nose feel. So it was with a grimace that the blonde peeled herself off of the couch to join them on the bed.

Max took three long, slow swallows of champagne straight from the bottle as Nathan set up another couple of lines on her ass, chopping up the power with his platinum credit card. She was beginning to get a buzz on and it felt great. Tonight was going to be out of control, she was going to get absolutely fucking wasted with the people she loved best in the world. She couldn't wait.

Nathan passed Victoria a rolled up hundred dollar bill and, with another pouty grimace, she leaned forward and snorted a line. Instantly she recoiled, gripping the bridge of her nose. "Ow, that shit fucking stings." Victoria wiped her watering eyes tentatively on her cashmere sweater.

As always, she began to cough, trying to clear her throat – she had never been very good at dealing with the drip, which, in her defence, was a fucking horrible.

"Come on Tori, there's one line left."

Victoria was gripping her throat with a finely manicured hand, her throat bobbing as she swallowed; she looked like a frog. Max couldn't help but giggle - she looked so cute and disgruntled. "I don't think she wants it, Nate."

He shrugged, grabbing the bill back and claiming the rest for himself. So  _greedy_.

When he was done, Max pulled her dress (black, skin tight, designer) back down. She pulled herself up off of her stomach and sat back on her heels, turning her attention to Victoria.

"Hey, are you ok there, buttercup?" She reached out and took the blonde girl's hand. God, she loved her too. At least, she was pretty sure she did.

Victoria was an angel, she was the most beautiful girl Max had ever seen, with her pixie cut and pixie face and doe-like brown eyes. She was adorable, she was flawless, she was a stone cold bitch – she was everything Max wanted and everything Max wanted to be.

Victoria was the sort of girl who'd act cold as ice in public, but would want to cuddle every second you were alone together. She was the sort of girl who'd hand write you love letters and beg you not to tell anyone. She was the sort of girl who had a whole photo album filled up with couple's selfies. She came up with adorable pet names and called Max 'Lolita' when they were alone together; Max was anything but innocent but she looked the very picture of it with her freckled skin, cupid's bow lips and baby blue eyes.

Victoria was a super rich kid who gave Max clothes and jewellery that were worth more money than she had in her college fund. But that wasn't the only reason she loved her, of course.

"Yes, of course I am,  _Maxine_." Victoria's face softened, melting into an affectionate smile. She bopped Max on her nose. "Tonight is going to be fucking cray." She leaned in and pressed a soft kiss onto Max's lips.

Victoria's kisses were like a soothing balm, they were like a cold drink on a hot day. Max could do little but drink it all in: she smelled of a light, floral perfume and she could taste the cherry of her lip balm. Victoria was always a welcome relief after Nathan's roughness – all mixed together, they were a perfect balance.

Of course, people talked shit about them because they didn't understand. Let the haters hate though, why should Max have to explain herself to them? Fuck them all if they couldn't see the love. And if they insisted on calling her a slut, she wasn't going to stop them.

She was happy and Victoria was happy and Nathan was happy.

Max pulled away and placed a gentle kiss on Victoria's forehead. Nathan was just finishing setting up her line on the back of an adult magazine. He passed her the rolled up bill (Max wondered if he would notice if she kept hold of it afterwards, she'd run out of allowance money for that month already - her parents were being total hard-asses about it too) and, like a pro, she took it all in one long inhale.

Max loved to party.

Her nose, mouth and throat went numb as the discomfort of the drip passed. She could taste chemicals and fought against the urge to spit.

Then, just like that, it hit her. She felt she could do anything. Her body felt like it was on fire. She wanted to dance until her legs went numb. She wanted to finally start writing that essay on experiencing life in motion that she'd been putting off for two weeks. Her heart was thundering. She wanted to run and run and  _run_.

Max grabbed both of their hands in her own, pressing a kiss onto the back of each of them. "Let's go. Let's go. You know it's not a Vortex party without us. Those skanks are probably gagging for us to arrive. "

Victoria pulled Max up off of the bed and Nathan followed. "I heard Kate fucking Marsh is coming. I made Courtney put her on the list for fun – it's going to be so fucking tragic and hilarious."

Kate Marsh? What interest did a bible-bashing hoe like her have in a Vortex party? Max actually laughed out loud, she couldn't believe it. This was going to be s _o fun_.

As they rolled out of the dormitories, Max wondered if Kristine Prescott would be making an appearance. She normally did.

Max absolutely adored Nathan's sister, she was probably the coolest person in Arcadia Bay and she partied harder than  _anyone._ She was completely wild and intimidating in her calm beauty. It felt like she was so unreachable too, it was like Kristine was on a whole other level to everyone else. She existed on another plane that mere mortals like Max could only aspire to.

Yet there was a flatness in her too. Max was usually too high or caught up in her adoration to notice it, but Kristine had a blankness in her eyes. It was a warning sign for those who were clever enough to look, but from behind rose-tinted glasses, red flags just looked like flags.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to turn this into a three chapter story because I just couldn't stop thinking about my trash children. So yeah, this chapter and the next will be focusing on the party and the aftermath. I just like writing about assholes doing assholey things. PS I love Kate and writing parts of this hurt my heart.

\----------

 _New car, new girl//_ _New ice, new glass//_ _New watch, good times babe//_ _It's good times, yeah//_ _She wash my back three times a day//_ _This shower head feels so amazing//_ _We'll both be high, the help don't stare//_ _They just walk by, they must don't care_

_\----------_

The bassline was everywhere.

It seemed to have no source. It had no beginning and no end. It thrummed through her head; she could feel it beating in her mouth, running along her tongue and pulsing through her chest. It felt like the music had cancelled out her heartbeat or, maybe, it had  _become_  her heartbeat. She was more deeply connected to the rhythm than she ever had been to anything before.

The strobe lighting worked in an opposite pattern to the music, but it wasn't discordant, it was beautiful. Faces were there and gone, there and gone, there and gone; myriad, constantly changing, fluid and beautiful. Max didn't recognise any of them, but it didn't matter, why would it? They were all here on that dance floor together, and it was a pure and visceral experience.

Max was glad that she took that molly.

She'd been worried about fucking herself over, of accidentally ODing or some shit like that, but clearly her fears had been unfounded. There hadn't even been that much left, just enough for a dab; Hayden had challenged her as soon as she had stepping into the VIP section. How could she refuse - she had a reputation to keep up, for Christ's sake.

It hadn't looked appealing; what was left on the couch arm was a shitty brown color – it was clearly cut with something – but she'd scooped it up anyway.

Everyone had cheered – it made her feel important.

This euphoria wasn't going to last long, it had peaked quickly and she could already feel herself come down. She was going to enjoy it while it lasted.

Arms wrapped around her waist from behind and floral perfume overcame her. Had she ever smelled anything so sweet in her life? No, never. Would she ever smell anything so completely ambrosial again? No, never. When this high was done, it would be back to normal, sub-par scents. How sad it would be.

She twisted around and threw her arms around Victoria's neck, holding her close, enjoying the feel of her body. "There you are! I've been looking for you for-fucking-ever!" This was a lie. Max had in fact been standing in the exact same spot Victoria had left her, swaying and dancing and sweating.

She suddenly became very aware of her slick skin, and the soaked back of her dress. She hoped Victoria hadn't noticed.

The blonde smirked at her. "I'm sorry Max." She brought Max's hand up to her face and pressed a soft, dry lipped kiss against her wrist, just above the thrumming pulse. "You've got to come with me. You'll never guess who I've found. You're going to laugh your fucking ass off."

She was pulled through the crowd, flowing past people, squeezing through the empty spaces between bodies like water, Victoria's cool hand in her own the only thing that was grounding her. Tori's skin was always cold, even in that humid, perspiring box of a swimming pool. Tori was the sort of girl who went to bed in a sweater. Tori was the sort of girl who wouldn't let you turn on the AC in the  height of summer.

They came to the bar – well stocked as always; it was so cool of Kristine to provide the catering for the Vortex parties.

Kristine had set up two bars and a nightclub of her own in Portland (obviously she borrowed some of her inheritance from daddy and furnished the buildings using her trust fund) and she sent supplies down to Arcadia Bay for every party. She usually travelled down to check on her little brother too, but Max hadn't seen her yet tonight and she had _really_ been looking.

Leaning on that bar, looking sheepish and awkward, was none other than Kate fucking Marsh. She wasn't drinking and she didn't seem to be with anyone either.

"I can't believe she actually turned up. What the fuck." Victoria let out a bray of laughter that Max joined in with. It was pretty fucking surreal, seeing that Bible-freak here of all places.

Kate Marsh was the purest person Max had ever known, she was reminiscent of a lamb – completely innocent, completely trusting, believing in the goodness in every human being, believing that no one would ever cause her harm on purpose. It was tragic, in a way - Kate Marsh's sweet nature meant that she may as well paint a massive target on her forehead, people like Max would  _always_  zero in on her. People like Kate were a rare breed in the way that they never learned; they would trust and get hurt, then go back out and let it happen again, a viscous cycle. Max saw it in her eyes, every time she was mocked in class, or tripped in the hallway, or sarcastically asked about her abstinence, there was that fresh gleam of hurt in her eyes, as if it was the first time.

Sometimes it made Max sad, especially when she was alone in her room in the early hours of the morning. Sometimes it made her question the things that she did, it made her question the way she acting. Kate Marsh had the power to do that.

Though, most of the time it just made her angry; it was a feeling that was sharp and acidic and completely unique. Max hated a lot of people, but never like that.

Kate Marsh was a lamb. Lambs were born to be sacrificed.

Victoria moved first, pressing up against Kate, wrapping her arm around her waist, as familiar as a best friend. This was Victoria's true talent. Her photography came second - it was  _decent_ enough, but Max secretly thought that her style was a little stale and recycled.

Victoria had an amazing ability to make you feel like you were bffl, if she _wanted_ you to feel that way. She managed it with such little effort too – Max had seen her in action several times and she could never pin down the exact technique, it was too subtle, like the sleight of hand in a magic trick. The act came as easy as breathing and that is what made Victoria dangerous to the unwary and the witless.

Kate wasn't what you would call witless, but she was always unwary.

"Kate! I'm so glad you made it!" Victoria wrapped her in a warm hug.

Kate looked surprised, her thin lips forming an 'O' of surprise; but that soon melted into a look of cautious happiness. Just like that, all the name calling had been forgotten; Kate Marsh was always ready to accept the good she saw in people, even if it wasn't really there. If you didn't have good qualities, Kate Marsh would make them up for you.

How blind could you be? She was going to get herself into some real trouble one day.

Kate's hand rose nervously to her throat, slender fingers twitching over her cross necklace, a habit of hers. Max had never seen anyone dress as demurely as she did; she looked like she was fresh out of church, even now – high collar, long sleeves, knee length skirt, tights; apparently Jesus didn't approve of any kind of skin. "I just got here! I'm not sure I'll stay long, it's not really my thing." Her voice was muted, Kate hadn't gotten used to having to scream to be heard over the music.

Max wasn't a pro like Victoria, but she was perfectly capable of being fake bitch too. She grabbed hold of Kate's hand with a familiar squeeze, as if she hadn't made fun of her in front of the whole class yesterday. "No Kate! Stay with us! It'll be so fun!"

"Yeah Kate, stay." Victoria countered. "Have some drinks with us."

Kate started to look uncomfortable at that. "Oh, gosh, I don't know guys. I don't really drink. Ever." Her hand went up to that chain again, pulling on the pendant. The golden cross flashed rhythmically in the strobe lighting.

"Oh Kate." Victoria gave her shoulder a friendly squeeze. "Come on. Just one little drink."

"Just one teeny, tiny one?" Max joined, adding in her best pouty, puppy-dog face. "It'll be so fun."

Kate chewed her bottom lip, big hazel eyes flicking between them. "I don't know…" She was not easily swayed, but she suffered from the affliction of not being able to say no to anyone. She never wanted to hurt anyone's feelings. She had no backbone. "Maybe just a little one."

Max beamed. "Shots!"

The cross gleamed at her throat again. "Just one." Kate said meekly.

Victoria waved down the bartender. He looked completely out of place and uncomfortable, one of Kristine's lackeys who was much better suited to invite-only soirées. He was handsome in an aloof way, but he clashed with his surroundings completely. Who the fuck wears a tux to a high school party?

He lined up three shots of vodka in front of them. Max and Victoria knocked them back with ease, barely even feeling the burn. Kate hesitated. She looked afraid. Emulating the other two, she knocked it back and choked almost immediately.

Kate kept coughing while the other girls made all the appropriate cooing noises. Max felt a hand press against her lower back, and suddenly,  _there she was,_  leaning forward, offering Kate a bottle of water. Kristine Prescott, looking as flawless and unruffled as always. "Here you go sweetie. You don't drink much, huh?" She had a steady, melodic voice, calm sounding even when she had to shout to be heard over the music. If Max hadn't worshipped her so much, she might have realised that she was mistaking calmness for flatness.

She was close enough for Max to smell her perfume, close enough for Max to appreciate the clearness of her peachy-soft skin. Her dark brown hair looked sleek and run-way ready under the flashing lights.

Kate took a deep drink from the offered water bottle. "Thank you." Her voice was a little cracked; she was clearly still feeling the burn. Her eyes were watering, her button nose pink – Max would have laughed if she hadn't been so acutely aware of  _Kristine's hand lingering on her lower back_.

Kate tried to pass the bottle back but Kristine waved her off. "Keep it, boo. You clearly need it more than me."

God, Kristine was so cool – she was like a guardian angel, being so kind and then playing it off as nothing. Kate probably didn't realise that she'd just been  _blessed_.

Kristine turned her cool blue eyes to Max – they were so similar to Nathan's, deep set and hooded. It seemed that dark circles ran in the Prescott DNA too. Kristine's eyes were a more icy blue than her brother's though. A small smile twitched across her full, collagen lips. "Hey, Max. A word?"

She was led away by the hand on the small of her back, the lightest of touches propelling her forward. "Nathan's been looking for you." She said, leaning in, whispering like a secret.

That could mean only one thing, Max knew the code by now.

Nathan had all of his kinks worked out: bondage, rough sex, domination, masochism – very niche stuff. He was the only person she knew who kept physical copies of porn in his dorm room, colorful titles such as Hurt The Bitch (volumes one through to eighteen), Shame The Slut (volumes one through twenty-five) and Cunt Punishment (that one was a rare series, only producing three volumes).

Nathan bought her a ball-gag and dog collar for her birthday (which was fine and everything, but she had asked him for a new camera). Sometimes, on special occasions, she let him hog-tie her.

Nathan liked it his way. Victoria did not – she was all about soft caresses, slow fucking and deep eye contact. Their styles conflicted completely and Victoria always got her way when they were all together.

Max always let him get his way when it was just them, though. And she had so much fun doing it.

"Oh really?" Max said. "He couldn't have been looking that hard."

Kristine smirked. She leaned in close again, minty breath ghosting over Max's ear. "I brought him some good shit. You better get a hold of some, you know how greedy he can be."

"Tell me about it." Max couldn't take her eyes off of her. Kristine looked so good - Louis Vuitton six inch heels (Nightbird open toe pumps, if she was not mistaken) and Dolce and Gabbana cordonetto lace grisaille sleeveless dress. Ugh, it was an  _iconic_ outfit, so  _Kristine_.

"Is he still taking all his medication?"

Max nodded – she and Victoria made sure to stay on top of it, checking in with him, and then checking his pill bottles just in case he was trying to be slick. All they wanted was to make sure he was as ok as he could be. It was nice to know his sister had the same concern. That made somebody in that family, at least.

"Good." Kristine smiled again and this time it was genuine. "You kids have fun.

Kristine moved her hand from the small of her back, only for another to take it's place. The new hand hovered for a moment and then move downwards to squeeze her ass – not that she had much of one, but she appreciated that he tried to show it some attention anyway.

Nathan had a distinct smell – CK Eternity attempting to mask an undertone of weed and cigarettes. It was a comforting smell to her. He leaned forward and latched onto her neck, nipping above her collarbone, more a bite than a kiss.

"You need to get some of this shit, Max. Let's get completely  _fucked up_. You and me."

She smiled at him. What Victoria didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

* * *

She scooped the white powder ever so carefully onto the tip of the knife, willing her hands to stop shaking; spilling Kristine-approved coke was a crime against both nature and God. There were no clean surfaces to do lines off of in the bathroom stall, so they'd resorted to doing bumps off of Nathan's switch-blade.

Max brought the knife up to her left nostril and inhaled – she was hit first by the sinus pain, then the drip and then finally the euphoria. She let her head bounce back against the grimy stall wall, enjoying the feeling of being fucking infinite.

Nathan's hands crept up over her hips. He lifted her up, pressing his body in between her thighs, and Max wrapped her legs around his mid-section for support. She smirked down at him and rolled her hips forward, an open invitation.

Nathan growled low in his throat. "I should just rip that dress off. Or maybe," he took the knife from her hand and slipped the blade under the collar, "I'll just cut it instead."

"Nathan! This is a Valentino!"

Like fuck it was. It was actually a Gucci, and it wasn't even hers, it was on loan from Victoria. Max couldn't afford a Gucci dress; in all truth, she couldn't even afford a Calvin Klein one. Just because she loved a couple of super rich kids didn't mean that she was one, she just fronted like she was. Fake it till you make it!

Nathan's kiss was as hungry and needy as always and his hands left bruises wherever they lingered. They both knew he wasn't strong enough to hold her up and fuck her against the wall, so Max allowed herself to be bent over the toilet. She braced herself against the cistern, leg lifted up against the stall wall; she watched her reflection in the toilet water to see if she still looked attractive while Nathan was six inches in her cervix. 

She did; especially the porn star 'o' face that she had been working so hard on. Nathan liked theatrics. 

He left deep, crescent-moon cuts on her hipbones with his blunt fingernails. It stung like fuck but she fought to keep the grimace of pain off of her face. 

Someone threw up nosily in the next stall. There was low chatter and laughter on the other side of the door - Max was being loud, there could be no mistaking what was going on.

As always, he came so suddenly he seemed to surprise himself, his stoic silence melting into a series of broken, breathy moans. He blew his load inside her, and her stomach dropped when she felt that familiar liquid warmth coat her insides.

He hadn't worn protection. _Again._ What an asshole.

This wasn't the first time he had done this to her without asking if it was ok first; his rich-kid entitlement was never more apparent. It wouldn't have been such a problem if he had asked first, but the way he just assumed pissed her off. Max wondered if she should trap him as revenge.

She could 'forget' to go and pick up day-after pills and let herself get knocked up; it would be too easy. She could live quite comfortably on Prescott maintenance money.

It was something to consider. Maybe she would use it as a back-up plan if she couldn't get her photography career to take off,or maybe even as a starter platform. She had a certain life style to fund, after all, and the best equipment didn't exactly come cheap. Was that morally wrong? Did it even matter? 

Max stood there a while, semen dribbling down her inner thighs as she watched Nathan tuck himself away. She hadn't worn panties. The rapidly cooling seed was soaking into her borrowed dress. The person in the next stall threw up again; it sounded messy.

Max suddenly felt very empty on the inside. She felt like a hollowed out shell, a pretend girl who was just a vessel for cum and coke and vodka.

Nathan smirked at her, unlocking the stall door. His face glistened under the harsh lighting, coated with a thin layer of sweat."Come on, beautiful. Let's go find Victoria." He paused, seeing the look on her face. He was never good with emotions or affection, he didn't know how to express how he felt – Max and Victoria knew that. He paused, sizing her up for a moment.

When he pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead, it meant more than words could express.

The low feeling was cancelled out and she stopped feeling so dirty.

"I love you." The admission flowed out of her in a rush of breath. She had never said that to him before, and she hadn't planned on admitting it anytime soon. She knew that he struggled with that sort of thing – she didn't want to make him uncomfortable. They had been making some great progress together, he'd begun to open up to her about all of his fucked up problems – she'd hate herself if she pushed him away now. 

Nathan paused, lips still frozen to her forehead. Then, he said it – mumbling into her hairline. "You're … pretty good too."

Max broke out into a smile. That was as close to an 'I love you too' that Nathan could manage, and it was good enough for her.

* * *

Victoria found them first, accosting them as soon as they came back into the party. The bass still thumped like a heartbeat, but the crowd seemed smaller now. The peak of a Vortex party never lasted long; teenagers got wasted quickly and a good night out meant getting paralytic before midnight.

Victoria had her phone out which could only mean one thing: some funny shit was going down. "You're not going to fucking believe this. Kate's a total slut, she's been grinding on _eve_ _ryone_."

Max laughed, unsure if this was a joke. "For cereal?"

"Yes bitch." Victoria seemed offended that she wasn't believed straight away. "Clearly abstinence wasn't working out for her. She's was acting so desperate, it was basically the most pathetic thing I've ever seen. I recorded all of it."

Nathan grabbed at her phone.

"Well, where is she now?" Max couldn't believe it. Kate Marsh?  _The_  Kate Marsh? The most holy and angelic Kate Marsh? The same Kate who had nearly choked to death on her first shot of vodka? She had been throwing herself at the dude-bros of Blackwell?

What the  _fuck_?

That was comedy gold. That was the funniest fucking thing she'd ever heard in her whole life.

Victoria laughed. "Come and see this." She grabbed Max's hand and dragged her toward. Max put her hand down her dress and fished out her phone from her bra in anticipation (her dress didn't have pockets and a bitch had to improvise).

Kate Marsh was no longer grinding on anyone. When they reached her, she wasn't even doing anything _funny_. She was lying down on her back in the middle of the dancefloor, face covered, rolling slowly from side to side. A couple of people were watching her and laughing, but other than that, no one was particularly bothered with this mini-breakdown – it clearly wasn't as funny as seeing her pushing her tongue down people's throats.

This wasn't funny. Or at least,  _objectively,_ it wasn't funny, but there was something cruel in Max that made her laugh. "This bitch is fucking wasted."

Victoria nodded. "It's so sad. Like, how embarrassing for her."

Max unlocked her phone and clicked open the camera. This was just too good of a chance to pass up. She had missed the main event, but she wanted something to commemorate this momentous occasion: the night Kate Marsh revealed she was just as flawed as everyone else. Fucking finally.

"I'm going to take a selfie with her."

Victoria shrieked with laughter. "Oh my fucking god,  _do it_!"

Max lay down on the sticky floor next to Kate, holding the camera at arm's length. It was hard to find a good angle lying on the floor; there were so many things working against her, her hair wasn't falling right, and it was so easy to look like she had a double chin. Max decided to play it cute and cover her face with a peace sign and pout rather than try for anything glamorous.

The flash seemed to snap Kate out of whatever weird trance she was having. She let out a little wail and lowered her hands. Her eyes were glazed and pleading – she looked absolutely  _out of it_. She mumbled something and Max was embarrassed to realise that Kate was crying.

"What did you say?" Max sat up on her elbows.

Kate gave a shuddering sob. "I think I'm dying?" It was a statement and a question all at once. "I'm dying Max. Help. Please, I'm dying."

Kristine Prescott appeared, kneeling down at Kate's side. She pressed another bottle of water to the girl's lips, but most of what she poured ran out of her mouth. She started to choke and gag, trying weakly to roll away. "Shit. I better take her to the hospital." Kristine started to pull Kate up by her arms, but she was as limp and boneless as a rag doll.

Max pulled herself onto her knees too. "Do you need a hand? I could come as well."

Kristine's eyes flashed with sudden hostility. "No!" She hooked Kate's arm around her shoulder and wrapped her arm around her waist to support her weight. "Don't bother Max. I want to get out of here anyway. It's getting pretty boring in here."

It was if a light had been switched off her head; just like that, Max was no longer having a good time. It was pretty boring in here. She watched Kristine struggle through the crowd with Kate's dead weight on her – she still couldn't believe that 'good' Christian girl had gotten so completely fucked up. How irresponsible.

What Kate had said had shaken Max up a little bit though, and that had completely ruined her buzz.

She got to her feet and slipped her hand into Victoria's. "Come on. It's getting pretty boring in here."

Victoria nodded. "Yeah, I heard. If Kristine said so it must be true." The bitterness in her voice was apparent. She found Max's hero worship obnoxious and misplaced. Maybe she was a little jealous too; she knew she would never measure up, she knew she would never be on Kristine's level. "You want to go blaze it on the roof?"

Max smiled and planted a gentle kiss on her cheek. "Awwh baby, you know me so well."

 

**Author's Note:**

> I had to do this because I couldn't get the image of Nathan and Victoria doing coke off of Max's ass out of my head? I couldn't focus at work and my personal relationships were suffering, so this had to be written. Reviews, as always, would be appreciated.


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